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Mars is a terrestrial planet, which has undergone the process of planetary differentiation. The InSight lander mission is designed to study the deep interior of Mars. [8] The mission landed on 26 November 2018. [9] and deployed a sensitive seismometer to enable 3D structure mapping of the deep interior. [10]
Mars is differentiated, which—for a terrestrial planet—implies that it has a central core made up of high density matter (mainly metallic iron and nickel) surrounded by a less dense, silicate mantle and crust. [4] Like Earth, Mars appears to have a molten iron core, or at least a molten outer core. [5]
Places on Mars that display polygonal ground may indicate where future colonists can find water ice. Patterned ground forms in a mantle layer, called latitude dependent mantle, that fell from the sky when the climate was different. [65] [66] [89] [90]
On the other hand, there is evidence for the alternative theory because much of the surface of Mars is covered by a thick smooth mantle that is thought to be a mixture of ice and dust. This ice-rich mantle, a few yards thick, smooths the land, but in places it has a bumpy texture, resembling the surface of a basketball.
Seismic waves generated by a meteorite impact on the other side of Mars from where NASA's InSight lander sits have provided new clues about the Red Planet's deep interior, prompting scientists to ...
An excellent view of this mantle is shown below in the picture of the Ptolemaeus Crater Rim, as seen by HiRISE. [18] The ice-rich mantle may be the result of climate changes. [19] Changes in Mars's orbit and tilt cause significant changes in the distribution of water ice from polar regions down to latitudes equivalent to Texas.
If you want to understand the geology of our home planet, studying the mantle is a great place to start. Separating the planet’s rocky crust and the molten outer core, the mantle makes up 70 ...
Mars is scarred by a number of impact craters: a total of 43,000 observed craters with a diameter of 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) or greater have been found. [98] The largest exposed crater is Hellas, which is 2,300 kilometres (1,400 mi) wide and 7,000 metres (23,000 ft) deep, and is a light albedo feature clearly visible from Earth.